How do I evaluate an immigration attorney in California?

Verify a real law license — any state bar supports federal immigration practice, and California licenses are checkable in the State Bar's public records. Only licensed attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives may lawfully represent you; notarios and immigration consultants cannot, a distinction Business and Professions Code section 22440 et seq. polices.

Immigration is federal practice, so an attorney licensed in any U.S. state may handle it — but the license must be real and active, which the State Bar of California's public records confirm for California licensees. The field's documented fraud problem makes verification non-negotiable: in many countries a "notario" is a legal professional, and California's Immigration Consultant Act, Business and Professions Code section 22440 et seq., exists because consultants and notarios here may only perform clerical services and may not give legal advice or select filings. The only lawful non-attorney representatives are Department of Justice accredited representatives working through recognized organizations, listed on the DOJ's public roster. Beyond credentials, ask concrete questions: how often the office handles your filing type, who attends the interview or hearing, what the flat fee includes in writing, and how the office tracks deadlines like the 30-day appeal window. Anyone promising a result, or charging to file blank forms, is showing you the exit.

Authority: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22440